Family offering reward for missing Indigenous woman

The family of Autumn Shaganash is appealing for the public's help to bring the 26-year-old Indigenous woman from Barrie home.

Shaganash has been missing for two months, prompting an investigation by Barrie police as her family conducts its own search in neighbourhoods across the city.

"It's not like her to do that or go over a day without texting me. I knew something wasn't right," Shaganash's older sister Lili-Anne Moore said. "It's been too long without her. I have no words."

When Moore couldn't reach her younger sister the morning after she was seen leaving their Barrie home on June 9, she quickly realized her sister's phone stopped taking calls and texts.

Her family contacted the police two days later, fearing she'd been taken.

Loved ones say Shaganash is five-foot-three, 130 pounds and requires medication.

Her uncle, Clarence Moore, confirms his niece struggled with her mental health and alcohol issues but was being treated.

"We want her back, and we're going to find her, and we're going to continue searching until we find her, and we're not going to give up," he said.

"Please, Autumn, reach out. Fight for your life; we need you back."

Clarence believes his niece may have been taken and encourages the public to remain vigilant if she is out there.

Surveillance video obtained by the family showed what appeared to be Shaganash following a man in the Sunnidale Park area on June 10 carrying skis along the street around the time of the nearby Walk to End ALS.

The family is asking anyone in the area with more surveillance video to come forward. They believe someone knows what happened to her.

"Police missed something, somebody missed something, and maybe even we as a family missed something, so we really are starting from scratch," said Shaganash's cousin Kimberly Moore who is renewing the family's plea for help after setting up a GoFundMe to raise $10,000 in reward money it hopes police will add to - and convince someone out there with information to come forward and help bring her home.

Shaganash's loved ones remain critical of the initial investigation and a lack of urgency once the family reported her missing 48 hours later.

"She wasn't looked for the way somebody should be looked for. It should not take over a month to two months to believe that someone is missing. It should've been that first day that she was reported missing," Kimberly said.

Shaganash's cousin said the family has been living a nightmare searching for her, still trying to come to terms with the fact she remains missing with very few clues as to where she could be.

Her family remains hopeful they'll be reunited.

"Autumn, I wish you could come home safely," her sister said.

Police said the investigation continues.

"No matter how hard I work and how long I stay up and how long we walk those streets and how bad of areas we go into, I don't feel like it's enough. I will never feel like it's enough until we find the answer and hopefully bring her home," Kimberly said.

The family is appealing for anyone with information to contact Lili-Anne Moore on Facebook or contact Barrie police.